Le Grande Orange

The owners of this new restaurant/bar in the handsomely restored 1925 Santa Fe Depot at Del Mar Station have thought of everything. Good-value happy hour? Check. Retro-hip mac ‘n’ cheese? Check. Grilled ahi tacos? Check. It’s got it all, from name-dropping martinis to a thoughtful kids’ menu, and at this writing, all of Pasadena was there – early-bird seniors on the enclosed patio, a diverse mix of families and friends in the beamed dining room, and a lively young after-work gang filling the bar. Although it’s the kind of restaurant that MBAs, not chefs, create, we admit to totally liking the place, especially the bar, the Caesar salad, the burgers and the fried chicken, a yuppie twist on Roscoe’s, with pan-fried boneless breasts atop a bed of mashed potatoes, with a palmier-like cinnamon roll for good measure. Well-poured drinks, charming and hospitable service.